Connecting your PC to your TV can enable to stream content on your computer directly onto the TV screen. You can watch movies loaded on your computer, access the internet with a bigger screen to look at, and more. All you need to connect the two devices is an HDMI cable.

Steps

Part 1

Getting the Right Cable

1

Confirm port sizes. If your PC is a laptop, check to see if the port will need a regular size, mini, or micro HDMI.

2

Measure distance between TV port and laptop port. Measure from wherever your computer will be located, preferably not too far. Estimate the length of the cable you'll need.

3

Purchase an HDMI cable. You can purchase an HDMI cable from your local electronics store, or you can browse online stores, like eBay and Amazon, and purchase from there.

Don't be fooled into buying a more expensive HDMI cable. It's generally agreed upon that an HDMI cable either works perfectly, or doesn't work at all. A more expensive cable will not give you a "better" picture.[1]

There's no such thing as an "HDMI 1.4" cable and no one needs a special cable for 3D , 120 or 240Hz, or Audio Return Channel (ARC).[3]

Part 2

Connecting the PC to the TV

1

Connect the cable to the TV. Make note of the how the port is labeled (e.g. a number) as this might help later when making the connection.

2

Connect the other plug to the PC. The slot is usually behind the CPU, if you have a desktop.

3

Switch source video on the TV. On the TV, look for the options that switch sources of videos, like “Video 1/2” or “PC” or "Input". This will switch its display to what your CPU is showing.

After connecting the PC and TV together, sometimes the TV will automatically display what’s on your computer monitor. Most of the time it will be blank. Proceed to the next step.

The label on the HDMI port that you plugged into might help here. For example, if your TV has 4 sources and you plugged into 3, keep pressing the input button until you get to 3.

4

Go to the Start menu of your PC. This is usually found in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

5

Look for the Control Panel and click on it. It will open up a window that shows different options on how to customize your PC.

6

Look for the Display option and click on it. Then look for "Adjust screen resolution." It will bring you to a window that shows different options on how you can view whatever is displayed on your TV or monitor. You will see two different displays, with one disabled. Click on the disabled monitor and then “Extend the desktop onto this monitor” and click “Apply”.

The TV should come to life with your Windows desktop. Sometimes it doesn't work the first time, so try again. If after trying several times it still doesn't work, check to make sure the cable is correctly plugged in on both ends. If it still doesn't work, you might have a faulty cable.

Community Q&A

If this question (or a similar one) is answered twice in this section, please click here to let us know.

Tips

Not all laptops have HDMI ports, but almost all HDTVs do.

If audio plays from your computer or laptop speakers instead of the TV, open Control Panel, select Sound, and look for your TV on the playback tab. If you don't find it, try right-clicking in the white space and choosing Show Disabled Devices.